After a roller coaster ride of a first season, Star Trek: Discovery is set to make its second season debut on CBS All Access on January 17, 2019. At a packed panel at New York Comic Con, a new trailer was shown, which gave fans a sense of what season two will entail, as well as our first glimpse of Ethan Peck as a bearded Mr. Spock.
Moderated by new cast member Rebecca Romijn, who takes on the role of “Number One” (first embodied by Majel Barrett in Star Trek: The Original Series) the Star Trek: Discovery panel at NYCC featured EP Alex Kurtzman and co-EP Heather Kadin, along with cast members Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham), Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Anthony Rapp (Lt. Paul Stamets), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), Shazad Latif (Ash Tyler), Mary Chieffo (L’Rell), Doug Jones (Saru), Mary Wiseman (Tilly), Michelle Yeoh (Philippa Georgiou), and our new Spock, Ethan Peck.
The new action-heavy trailer gives us our first idea of what the overarching plot of season two will be, as Captain Pike leaves the Enterprise and takes command of Discovery, apparently to pursue a mystery involving a series of seven signals spread throughout the galaxy. Somehow, this is all tied into a vision of a “red angel” that Spock and his adopted sister Michael Burnham both had as children. We also now see that the Klingons have hair, leaning more into their traditional looks. Finally, Spock appears for the first time, sporting a full beard.
At the panel, the cast remained tight lipped about plot details for season two, but some big reveals were made. Sonequa Martin-Green revealed to the crowd, “My husband Kenric Green is going to be in Star Trek Discovery! But I can’t say in what capacity yet.” Doug Jones revealed that we will get more backstory on his character of Saru, and even meet his sister. He also revealed for the first time that the Kelpians are from the planet Kaminar, which we will also presumably visit for the first time.
Michelle Yeoh, who plays the Mirror Universe version of Captain Philippa Georgiou, jokingly called the Prime Universe the “lame universe,” and has found a home in Starfleet’s secret intelligence agency, Section 31. “Not everyone knows I am from the mirror universe. So sometimes it is very nice and kind… and then the Section 31 version is manipulative, sexy because of all the leather.” The new Captain Pike, Anson Mount, reiterated the idea that the through line in this season will find the Discovery chasing the mysterious signals, which are made of energy beyond anything anyone has ever witnessed. They find a ship with one survivor, played by comedian Tig Notoro.
Wilson Cruz’s character of Dr. Hugh Culber was killed off last season in a very unpopular move, seeing as he was half of Star Trek’s first series regular LGBT couple. But he is definitely back, telling the crowd, “We find him where we left him. I can’t tell you anything more than that.”
The other half of that couple is Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), who was a bit of a grouch in season one, but Tilly will be getting through to his better nature. “In season one, Stamets was kind of crabby and grumpy. [Tilly] helped melt Stamets’ crusty exterior,” said Mary Wiseman, who plays the ever optimistic Lt. Tilly.
The controversial look of the Klingons from the first season will continue to evolve, according to Alex Kurtzman, who maintains that they are “trying to maintain the spirit of the old while using new makeup techniques.” There “could be” traditional looking Klingons, but season two Klingons will look like the season one versions, only this time with hair. Old school fans will be pleased.
Ten years before the time of the original Star Trek series, Burnham becomes the first officer in Starfleet history to commit mutiny. Instead of prison, circumstances forced her to serve on board the Discovery during a time of war with the Klingon Empire, under the command of Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs), who was not exactly what he seemed. After a trip into the Mirror Universe, encounters with the pirate Harry Mudd, and other galactic highjinks, Discovery ends the season by running into the U.S.S. Enterprise, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike out in deep space. Now, we’ll all finally find out what happens next.
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Images: CBS All Access
